U.S. Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) said Wednesday that the suggestions by President-elect Donald Trump that the United States should reassert ownership over the Panama Canal and purchase Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark both serve U.S. national security interests.
Wittman made the remarks during an appearance on “The John Fredericks Show,” telling host John Fredericks, who is the publisher of The Virginia Star, that increased access to Greenland would help monitor Russian submarine activity while renegotiating the country’s interest in the Panama Canal would better position the United States against China.
A member of the House Armed Services Committee, Wittman told Fredericks, “In relation to what Russia does, especially with their submarines, Greenland is a strategically important space for us to monitor what happens with Russian submarines,” especially the Severodvinsk class of vessel that are stationed in Norway and, “very, very difficult to detect,” for the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“To be able to monitor those efforts is key,” said Wittman. “Greenland really is a strategically important place in the North Atlantic. I think the president understands that and is looking for ways for us to be able to gain that strategic advantage in an area of the world where the Russians have developed a capability that is a threat to the United States.”
The representative offered a similar analysis of the Panama Canal, noting that canals are obvious “choke points” that allow governments to control both transit and commerce.
“When the Chinese operate the Panama Canal, they then will control this choke point, and that is a problem,” Wittman told Fredericks.
He explained, “What the president’s trying to do is to make sure that you have an opportunity to make sure the Chinese don’t control the world economy by controlling commerce through the Panama Canal,” and suggested the president-elect’s statements about reasserting control over the canal zone are likely an effort to create “a level playing field with the Chinese there.”
Wittman made the comments just one day after Trump held a press conference at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, where he refused to rule out using economic action or military force to gain control over the Panama Canal and Greenland.
“I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this. We need them for economic security,” Trump said on Tuesday. “The Panama Canal was built for our military.”
Watch Wittman’s full appearance on “The John Fredericks Show”:
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
